At our nation’s most prestigious universities, the average senior may be able to explain the history of rock and roll, but don’t expect him to tell you anything about the Constitution. Find out why, on this edition of Home School Heartbeat with Mike Farris.
Mike Farris:
During our last program, I introduced a recent study of American college students.
Researchers surveyed thousands of freshmen and seniors to measure their knowledge of America’s history, government, economics and international relations. The students—even the seniors—failed by astounding margins.
Today, let’s look at the study’s first finding:
The average college senior knows nearly nothing about America’s history, government, international relations, and market economy, failing the American civic literacy exam with a score of 54.2%. Students at Harvard earned an average of 69.6%, which translates to a D-plus on the traditional grading scale.
Now, before you start thinking, “Well, those questions were probably difficult”: no. These were not obscure questions. They were selected by specialists in each field as the basic facts and essential concepts of American history, government, and economics.
Here at Patrick Henry College, we require a two-semester class, Freedom’s Foundations, dedicated to the historical and biblical philosophies of government. Every student also takes a course in Constitutional Law. We teach our students history and the principles of American liberty before we send them out to lead the nation.
But, obviously, that kind of attention to civic literacy is rare. For the sake of America’s future, it had better not stay rare.
I’m Mike Farris.
